LOCAL governments in Kumamoto Prefecture are promoting e-sports as a means to prevent dementia and offer a sense of purpose to its senior citizens.
With over 30 million residents aged 65 and older, Japan recognises the importance of engaging this demographic.
According to NHK, a town of Misato in Shimomashiki District, took the proactive approach and officially included e-sports as an event at the “Nenrinpics,“ a sports and cultural festival for those aged 60 and above.
It aims to provide a new avenue for the elderly to engage in physical and mental activities, potentially helping to combat cognitive decline and is scheduled for October this year.
A rhythm game called Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master, which involves hitting drum targets in sync with music, was selected for the Nenrinpics due to its dual benefits: it demands that players memorise drum patterns and encourages physical movement, keeping both the mind and body actively engaged into old age.
One of the contestants, Tazuko Miyazaki, 76, said she will be participating in a rhythm game that involves hitting drum targets in sync with music.
“At my age, I thought it would be nice to try participating in the Nenrinpics since I couldn’t do traditional sports at events like the National Sports Festival. I thought e-sports might be a way for me to participate, so I started practising,“ she said.
Despite having minimal experience with rhythm games, Tazuko has been persistent in her training.
She transcribed lyrics of popular songs to better understand the music and practised “air drumming” during her daily walks to improve her timing and coordination.
Her husband, Seiichi Miyazaki, has been supportive of her efforts as the preliminary competition puts Tazuko to focus on overcoming her challenges, particularly with repeated hits towards the end of songs.
During the preliminaries, she secured one of the three spots representing areas outside Kumamoto City for the main Nenrinpics event.
Although she did not achieve a “Full Combo” (hitting all targets perfectly), she expressed determination to continue practising for the competition.
“I just want to stay healthy and keep practising for the competition in October,“ she said.
